Transmigrating to the Three Kingdoms as Lu Bu: I Have a Pseudo-Apocalypse System

Below the city of Longxian, Zhang Xiu and Ma Chao stood side by side on the battlefield, exchanging a glance.

Young and impetuous, Ma Chao preemptively said, "General Zhang, let's see who can scale the city wall first!"

Zhang Xiu sneered: "Afraid of you?"

Almost simultaneously, the two spurred their horses forward, abandoned them at the foot of the city, and each led their personal guards to climb the ladders.

Zhang Xiu was twenty-four years old this year, at the peak of his physical strength. He had also received Tong Yuan's true teachings, and his spear skills were exquisite. Holding a shield in one hand and a spear in the other, he moved as nimbly as a monkey on the siege ladder.

A log rolled down from the city wall. Zhang Xiu used his shield to block it, and the log was easily deflected and fell. He took the opportunity to climb a few more steps.

Not to be outdone, Ma Chao used his spear to propel himself up the siege ladder in a few strides. Two defenders lunged to attack, but Ma Chao grabbed one spear with his left hand and pulled hard, causing the man to cry out and fall off the city wall; with his right hand, he swept aside the other man's weapon and thrust it into his chest.

The two chased each other until they were only a few feet away from the city wall.

Zhang Xiu, being more experienced, was the first to climb onto the ramparts, and with a series of thrusts of his silver spear, he felled two men, clearing a foothold for them.

"I'm the first to reach the summit!" he laughed.

Ma Chao was a moment too late in climbing the wall, and said in frustration, "I'll definitely beat you next time!"

Although the two men were talking, their hands never stopped. Zhang Xiu's spear moved like a dragon, aiming specifically for the throat and face; Ma Chao's spear technique was wide and sweeping, slashing and hacking. The soldiers guarding the city wall were already terrified, and seeing the two young generals so brave, their hearts trembled even more.

"The Han army has stormed the city!"

"Run!"

The sound of falling air rose from all sides.

"Kneel down to avoid death!" Zhang Xiu shouted sternly.

"Clang!" The first knife fell to the ground.

Immediately afterwards, the second, the third... the soldiers guarding the city wall knelt down, their hands covering their heads.

The Han army continued to scale the city walls and quickly took control.

Hou Xuan, protected by his personal guards, fought his way back to the ruins of the city gate. Looking around, he saw that he had only a few dozen men left, and the Han army outside the city had begun to ram the gate.

"General, surrender..." a guard said in a trembling voice.

Hou Xuan sighed and threw his sword to the ground: "So be it... Open the city gates and surrender."

At the foot of Dazhen Pass, Han Sui's main camp.

Inside the central command tent, Han Sui was discussing matters with generals Cheng Gongying and Yan Xing. The repeated setbacks in the attack had exhausted the soldiers and depleted their supplies; everyone looked grim.

"My lord, we've lost over three hundred men today," Yan Xing said in a deep voice. "Wei Xu's defenses are impenetrable, and there are still ballistae and catapults inside the pass. A direct assault would result in too many casualties. Perhaps we should divide our forces and take a detour through the Chencang Pass..."

Before he could finish speaking, a scout on horseback galloped into the tent, stumbling and crawling: "Reporting—My lord! Urgent report from Long County!"

Han Sui's heart skipped a beat: "Speak!"

"The combined forces of Lü Bu and Ma Teng, numbering over 20,000, have reached the walls of Long County! General Houxuan urges our lord to return and reinforce the city immediately!"

The tent was deathly silent.

The bamboo slip in Cheng Gongying's hand fell to the ground with a "thud," and Yan Xing stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Han Sui abruptly stood up: "Lü Bu is in Bingzhou, and Ma Teng is in the Hetao region. How could they be in Long County?"

The scout, his face contorted with despair, reported, "It's absolutely true! They're using the Lü and Ma banners, with countless cavalry, and they've already surrounded Long County!"

Han Sui's face changed color, turning pale and then flushed, before he suddenly roared, "Ma Teng! Ma Shoucheng! You lied to me!"

He then realized that all the talk about being ordered to jointly undertake a great undertaking and about restraining Lü Bu in the Hetao region was a lie! Ma Teng had already surrendered to Lü Bu and had even written a letter to deceive him, telling him to advance eastward with peace of mind!

Cheng Gongying said urgently, "My lord, now is not the time to be angry. Long County is the foundation of our army's food supply. If it falls, the entire army will run out of food. We must return to its aid immediately!"

Han Sui forced himself to remain calm: "Yan Xing, you lead five thousand infantrymen to guard the main camp and rely on the fortifications to block Wei Xu from pursuing us out of the pass. The rest of you, follow me back to Long County immediately!"

He gritted his teeth and said, "Houxuan has two thousand soldiers, the city is high and the supplies are plentiful. As long as we hold out for a few hours, we can arrive. Then, with an attack from both inside and outside, we might just be able to win!"

The generals agreed, but a shadow fell over their hearts—Lu Bu's arrival in Long County meant the war in Bingzhou was over. Kebineng and Qubei were formidable forces, easily defeated in a month; could their few tens of thousands of men truly defeat the combined forces of Lu Bu and Ma Teng?

The order was given, and the camp was in a flurry of activity.

Yan Xing left 5,000 soldiers behind to reinforce the existing fortifications and guard against Wei Xu's attack from within the pass.

Han Sui led 40,000 men, lightly equipped, on a swift westward march. Along the way, he constantly urged, "Faster! Faster! Longxian cannot be lost!"

But how can a large army move about as it pleases? The infantry were exhausted and could not move fast at all.

Before long, the vanguard had approached Long County. A scout reported: "My lord, a large army has been spotted five miles ahead!"

Han Sui asked urgently, "Is it possible that Hou Xuan has come out of the city to provide support?"

"No...it's the banners of Lü Bu and Ma Teng! They've arrayed themselves on the official road, blocking our way!"

Han Sui's heart sank, and he spurred his horse to the front of the battle.

Ahead, on the flat plain, the Han army stood in orderly ranks. Cavalry were positioned on both flanks, with infantry in the center, banners fluttering and swords and spears gleaming like a forest. Under the central banner, Lü Bu rode Red Hare, wielding his halberd, as imposing as a mountain. To his left were Ma Teng, Pang De, and Ma Chao, and to his right were Cheng Lian, Zhang Xiu, Xu Huang, and other generals.

What chilled Han Sui even more was that dozens of catapults and crossbows were set up in front of the Han army.

Clearly, Longxian has fallen, and these siege weapons have been transported here.

Where are the candidates? Where is Longxian County?

The answer is self-evident.

Ma Teng rode out alone, and when he was a hundred paces away, he called out loudly, "Han Wenyue, how have you been?"

Han Sui gritted his teeth and charged forward: "Ma Shoucheng! I treated you like a brother, why did you lie to me?"

Ma Teng sneered: "Brother? You receive the General's provisions and salary, yet you betray your lord by following a false edict; that is disloyalty. Knowing defeat is inevitable, you still drive tens of thousands of soldiers to their deaths; that is inhumanity. Such a disloyal and inhumane person dares to call me brother?"

Han Sui angrily retorted, "Lü Bu has seized the emperor and monopolized the government; how is he any different from Dong Zhuo? I am acting on the emperor's secret edict to defend the king; this is the act of a loyal subject! You, Ma Shoucheng, are aiding and abetting evil; you will surely be punished by heaven!"

Ma Teng shook his head: "Wen Yue, don't you understand? The so-called secret edict is a treacherous edict, a scheme by treacherous officials to create discord between you and the General. You fell for the trap and raised an army, and you are now trapped. Long County has fallen, our supplies are all gone, Dazhen Pass is in front of us, and the royal army is behind us. What path do you have left? You might as well dismount and surrender, and the General might spare your life."

Han Sui laughed loudly: "Surrender? Lü Bu is vindictive and vengeful. Now that I have rebelled, how could he tolerate me? Today, I will fight to the death!"

He glanced at his soldiers behind him and roared, "My comrades! Though Lü Bu is strong, are we Liangzhou men cowards? They have come from Bingzhou, their men and horses exhausted. If we fight to the death, we might break through! As long as we retreat to Jincheng, we still have a chance to survive!"

Before he finished speaking, Lü Bu spurred his horse into battle.

He didn't shout anything, but simply raised his halberd and pointed it forward.

This is the order to attack.

"Personnel Battalion—Charge!" Cheng Lian roared.

A thousand heavy cavalrymen began to advance slowly, the sound of their armor scraping against each other like waves of metal. The horses' hooves gradually quickened, accelerating until they charged towards Han Sui's army like thunder.

Han Sui urgently ordered, "Archers, fire!"

Arrows rained down, but the heavily armored cavalrymen and horses were difficult to penetrate despite the clattering of the arrows. Only a few arrows struck the horses' legs or faces, causing some casualties.

"Spearmen, form ranks!" Han Sui roared.

The Liangzhou soldiers in the front row raised their spears, aiming them at the charging iron cavalry. But many of their hands were trembling—the dark, imposing torrent of steel opposite them was too terrifying to bear.